7 ways to document your time in Sweden

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Many things happen in a year, especially when you move to a new country, start a master, make new friends and, in short, when you step out of your comfort zone. So why not document it in a creative way! I’m sure you have already told many stories to your friends and family back home about your first days in Sweden and there’re many more to come.

Storytelling has always been part of human existence. From stories told around the fire thousand of years ago to the ones we share today through our social media accounts. When we talk about the things we have experienced we revive those moments and we make other people imagine a world full of possibilities and things that are waiting for them to explore.

Personally, I love telling stories and keeping things that remind me an especial moment or a place, like a ticket from a concert I went or a badge from an important conference I attended. There are many ideas on how you can put on paper, pictures and words your time in Sweden and inspire other with your adventures in the Nordic lands. Here I give 8 of my favorite ones!

1. Scrapbook/Collage

Nothing can beat tangible memories! Save movie tickets, metro card, the package of your favorite tea, the tag from the first winter coat you bought, a museum entrance…the list never ends. You can also buy a jar where to put them and when your time in Sweden ends you can either make a scrapbook together with your favorite pictures or a collage to hang it on a wall.

A post shared by Study in Sweden (@studyinsweden) on Aug 18, 2017 at 3:31am PDT

3. Write

If videos, photography or collages are not your things: write! Even if you think you’re not a good writer, write, it can be about your first day in the university, cultural differences, the people you have met or just random thoughts you want to put down in paper. It’s also a good self-reflection exercise. Personally I prefer to write in a small notebook. After being all day in front of screen writing with pen and paper it’s a perfect getaway. If you want to go one step further you can also create a blog and share your experience abroad with the world.

A post shared by Study in Sweden (@studyinsweden) on Apr 21, 2017 at 3:16am PDT

4. Draw

Are you into sketch? If you are one of those artistic souls, drawing is always a good idea. It doesn’t have to be perfect, allow yourself to have fun sketching your neighborhood, a meaningful sunset, your favorite spot in the library or you can make a whole series about your favorite Swedish sweets: kanelbulle, semla, princess tarta and so on.

5. Create your own hashtag!

If you’re active in social media why not create your own hashtag. Try to make it unique so it doesn’t get mix with other people’s posts out there. An idea is start combining your name with Sweden or Swedish words. I use #swedishvanna and #scandivanna for my posts.

6. Get a scratching map

Being in Sweden also means that you’re very close to the rest of Europe, so if you plan ahead and save money you could also visit other countries and scratch the map as you go.

A post shared by Study in Sweden (@studyinsweden) on May 6, 2017 at 6:51am PDT

7. Blog for Study in Sweden

You will not only get to see amazing sides of Sweden but you will also enjoy blogging, posting pictures, making videos and all of the above. The best thing is you still have few more days to apply.

I know classes can be overwhelming plus having to attend extra-curricular activities, take care of your social life and so on can seems it leaves you with no time for all this, but if something I’ve learned is that as long as you plan your week ahead: there’s time for all. Also, 10, 20, 30 years from now you will still be talking about your time in Sweden and wouldn’t be cool to had documented it in a creative way? Start today; share your story with the world.

Do you have any other ideas about how to document your time in Sweden? Let me know in the comments 🙂